I know this one is a little short. There's a reason for that – the next chapter really needs to be all one. Trust me on that.

I continue to be BLOWN AWAY by all of you who read and review and favorite and leave kudos. You are AMAZING.

Anybody figured out the theme song to this chapter yet? If you haven't, it's going to be very, very relevant next week.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Pains

"I can't believe I listened to you!"

Donatello activated the portal stick and sighed. "Raph, what do you want me to say? You've already made your point – several times."

Raphael loomed at Donatello's side. "Maybe if I say it a few more times, you won't get it wrong again."

Don's own frayed patience slipped and he glared at his brother. "I don't make the same mistake twice, Raph. That's you who tries the same boneheaded thing again and again and it never works out."

Raph's hands curled into fists and he raised them threateningly.

"Don? Raph? You guys okay?" Leo's voice and frown cut through the brewing violence as the portal stick connected to the receiver. He was sitting on the floor of one of the airy rooms in the Daimyo's keep where he had set the receiver up as though he were holding an audience with anyone from the han.

"No, we ain't okay!" Raph turned away from Don. "Brainiac here let the Purple Dragons get away!"

Leonardo's frown darkened. He shifted his eyes to his purple-clad brother. "Donatello?"

Don was used to his brothers' irritation with him – he lived with it on a full-time basis whenever something important like the TV or the heater was broken, and it also often manifested within ten minutes of him attempting to explain anything technical and complicated – but he was not usually the simultaneous target of Raph's fury or Leo's disapproval. However, he raised his chin and looked back calmly.

"April called us. The Purple Dragons had decided to menace her place in force. There were probably about fifty of them gathered out front, armed, looking like they were getting ready for a small-scale gang war of their own. And Hun was with them."

"Hun?" Leo's frown turned to surprise. "I thought he got scooped up with all the other mutants from the Technodrome."

"So'd I, but there he was, large as life and twice as ugly," Raph grumbled. "Giving a bad name to turtles everywhere."

Leonardo held up a hand. "What happened next?"

Donatello resumed his explanation. "Using stealth, we were able to observe the situation. The Purple Dragons weren't trying to hide or stick to the alley. They were right out in the street. And it's not like April's place is isolated – half the neighbors were watching from their windows."

"Donnie's brilliant idea was to sit there and not do anything," Raph put in sharply. "Because ignoring slimeballs makes them go away so much better!"

"Raphael!" Leo's tone was strident and impatient. "Enough." Then, after a moment, "Why don't you come through and talk to me?" Leo gave Don a slightly sympathetic look.

Don wasn't sure if he was grateful for some space from his furious brother or annoyed that Leo was effectively giving Raph a platform to make his case unimpeded.

Raph glared at Donatello once more before stomping to the gateway created by the portal stick. In a moment he had stepped through, landing just on the other side of the receiver so that Donatello's own view was filled with his shell.

In the room with Leo now, Raph's words were clipped and angry.

"Just when we got there, they tossed a huge rock through the window. Not the shop window – the big one upstairs. The glass broke and hit April and Casey and cut them up pretty bad. Then they started lightin' a molotov. And he was gonna let them throw it and burn down April and Casey's place while they were bleeding inside it!"

"That's not true!" Don snapped from back in the lair.

Leo pushed Raph to one side so he could see them both.

Don would have crossed his arms but he was holding the portal stick, so he settled for returning Raph's fiery anger with some of his own. "I just didn't think it would help matters if we went out on the street in the open. The sun hadn't even set fully yet! Anyone could have seen us. Then the cops would have been looking for three mutants, not just one!"

"Don, hang on." Leo's voice was even. "In order, please. So, they broke the window and were getting ready to set a fire. What happened next?"

"We tossed some shurikens to take out the improvised firebombs," Don said, trying to ignore Raph who was physically shoving against Leo's arm to try to block him. "Raph dropped down into the blind alley across the street and yelled at the Dragons to 'come and get him' or something and a bunch of them broke off to charge him."

"You should'a been with me!"

"You're lucky I wasn't!"

"Easy," Leo said, actually standing to better control Raph without losing sight of Don. "Okay, so then what?"

Raph's fingers clenched and unclenched. "Whaddaya think? I kicked some shell. On my own. Because somebody wasn't watching my back."

Leonardo's gaze sharpened and he looked accusingly back at Don. "Is that true?"

"Of course not!" Don yelled. "I just didn't think it did us any good if we were both in the blind alley where we couldn't keep track of everything!"

Leo nodded. "Okay. So you stayed on the roof and kept a lookout?"

Don frowned. "I also dropped smoke pellets strategically to keep Raph hidden from the street and to disorient the Dragons. And, oh, took out as many as Raph did with a firehose, which also, incidentally, kept Hun from cornering you!"

"You should'a let him come at me. There's a list of guys the world would be way better if they had their heads bashed in and Hun is at the top of it!" Raph returned.

"True as that is," Leo put in, "Hun's always been a tough opponent when all four of us were together and he wasn't mutated to twice the strength. Trying to take him on alone was stupid, Raph."

Raph hauled back as if to punch Leo but the blue-banded turtle turned away from him and faced Don instead. "So when did the police get involved?"

"Only a minute or two after I started using the firehose. Some of the neighbors must have called 911 because there were cops everywhere in no time. They had their hands full with Hun, though, so most of the Dragons got away. Raph wanted to chase after them -"

"We should have!"

"-but I talked him into coming with me to make sure nobody had gotten into April's building when we weren't looking. We bandaged them up a little before the cops knocked on the door for a statement and then we took the tunnel out of there."

"Are April and Casey okay?"

Don nodded. "They both needed some stitches, but that was it. One beat cop stayed on their corner to make sure nobody else messed with the building while they went to the hospital. April promised to call when they get home."

"And were you gonna mention that not only did most of the Purple Dragons get away, but Hun managed to bust up some cops too?" Raph sneered. "If we'd taken him down, they wouldn't have been stuck trying to deal with him."

Don sighed. "Raph, we would never have taken Hun down with just the two of us, and you know it."

"He's probably right," Leo said, facing his angry brother. "You're just mad because Don came up with the same plan I would have and it was the best plan possible."

"Says you."

"Yes says me," Leo shot back. "You both got in and out of a dangerous situation where you were badly outnumbered and you risked exposure. You kept them busy long enough for the cops to show up." Leo glanced to Don. "Did they get Hun?"

He nodded. "Pumped him full of tranq darts and carted him off in a reinforced truck."

"There. See?" Leo crossed his arms. "I know it's been a while since you've had a turtle tantrum, but it's not fair to take it out on Donnie for being responsible and trying to rein you in."

Raph's face twisted with sudden rage. "I'll show you a tantrum!"

He leaped at Leo, swinging. Leonardo calmly blocked the incoming punch and twisted away. Over his shoulder he called, "Donnie, give us a couple of hours and call back, okay? I think we'll be a little more ready to talk then."

Donatello nodded and powered down the portal stick, feeling a sense of loss as the connection vanished.

On the plus side, now Raph can work out all the anger he didn't get to pound through Hun's skull with someone who actually likes fighting with him.

He sighed.

And now the lair is empty and quiet. Too quiet, really. But I'll make use of the time while I've got it.

Don let his feet carry him to the partially-constructed Shell Cycle. He settled down beside the machinery and dropped into the very familiar and soothing mechanical work. Every minute of tinkering and building bled stress and tension away, and while part of his brain worked on the bike, the rest worked on his feelings.

Raph's just Raph. He probably came out of the egg swinging and hasn't ever stopped. And without Leo here to argue with every ten minutes, I guess I should have expected eventually he'd find a reason to blow up at me.

I wasn't wrong, though. It would have been a disaster if we had exposed ourselves to the neighbors, and with the cops still looking for other leftover mutants from the Technodrome, it is not a good time to get spotted. Leo knows that. He'll handle it.

Maybe this will be good for both of them. Raph would explode if he couldn't butt heads with someone at least once a day, and for the most part I haven't been giving him much of a target. I'm surprised he hasn't torn up anything we've been working on. And Leo would probably die if he didn't lecture someone once a day, too, and I bet everybody at the castle could use a break.

The memory of the people at the castle, though, and their feelings towards him left Don's throat feeling tight. He forced his thoughts elsewhere.

I hope Leo isn't lecturing Mikey too much. Oh, wait. Mikey was going to go stay at Mitsu's village for a week or something to show her the comics we sent him. I hope he's having fun.

I hope he doesn't get his heart broken when he comes home.

A tiny mew caught Don's attention. He looked up to see Klunk batting at one of the screws at the edge of the tarp upon which the Shell Cycle was beginning to take shape.

"Hey little guy," he said, wiggling his fingers at the cat. With April and Casey both headed to the hospital, Don had decided to bring Mikey's kitty home to look after him – which served the additional purpose of giving Don something to hang onto while Raph was raging in his ear.

Klunk obligingly left the screw alone and came to rub against Don's arm, purring loudly.

"I guess Mikey will be glad to see you whenever he comes back, anyway. He does seem to have a thing for orange cats. And isn't that just disturbing as shell?"

Klunk turned in a circle and settled down with his warm, fuzzy body pressed to Donatello's side.

Mikey knows he'll have to leave eventually. He'll be okay. And Raph will be okay when he cools down, even if he doesn't admit I was right. He'll probably volunteer for more standing in gross water just to make it up to me.

It'll be fine. Maybe we all just need a little space sometimes so we don't drive each other so crazy. I know I do. Good thing I've got a lab.

I've just got to get this lair up to speed before everybody comes home. That'll make it a lot easier to say goodbye to Usagi's world and get back to our lives here.

-==OOO==-

Michelangelo laughed at Yoshi as he finished relating one of the village's funniest stories about Kyoya-san who lived at the edge of town and never seemed to smile at anybody. He ruffled the kitten's furry head when he sat down beside him.

"Sometime I'll dig out that picture of Leo from when we used his shell as a floor waxer and show you. He might be the great and powerful Heir, but he still looked like a doofus spinning around with a mop on his back."

Across the table, Mitsu smiled softly. "As much as that might amuse us, I think it would be improper to dishonor the young Lord so."

"Ah, he won't mind. Leo's got a stick up his shell, but he's got a sense of humor, too. Trust me. He wouldn't see it as a real loss of honor."

Yoshi peered at him, his dark eyes wide. "Maybe it would make him lose his honor and he wouldn't even notice!"

Mikey shrugged. "I don't think that's possible. Leo doesn't lose things because he notices everything."

"But even the wisest cannot see what is behind the curtain," Mitsu said. "The young Lord may not realize what he is blind to, nor what he may lose."

"Well, if he does lose anything, you'll hear the yelling all the way from the castle," Mikey said.

Mitsu nodded. "This I do believe. Your brother's upraised voice is a thing of great force."

"Which one?"

"Both of them."

Mikey gave a dramatic groan. "You got that right! And they wonder why I spend so much time out here! It's tiring being the one turtle yelled at all the time."

Mitsu lifted the teapot and carefully refilled Michelangelo's cup and Yoshi's before her own. "Well, your presence here has done much to improve our village, so I must be grateful for whatever it is that draws you here."

Mikey blushed but hid it with a grin. "It must be thanks to your tea! Obviously!" And he drank deeply of the cup, the heat burning his tongue not unlike that which burned in his chest.

Outside the door, there was a good-natured greeting shouted and Mikey gulped the rest of his tea and got to his feet just as Mitsu's father entered the house.

"Good evening, Konishi-san," he said with a quick bow.

"Good evening, Hamato-san," the village headman replied, giving a bow of his own.

Mitsu also stood and bowed low. "Hello, father. How is Fumiko-san?"

"She is well. She was grateful for the meal you cooked, and I believe she was appreciative of the company as well. It will be many more weeks before her son returns." Konishi moved to take his place at the head of the table. The dishes of the evening meal were long gone, but a cup remained at his seat and Mitsu quickly poured the hot tea into it.

"I should be going," Mikey said. He turned to Mitsu. "Thank you for the tea." And he winked at Yoshi. "And thank you for the stories."

Konishi dipped his head. "May you have a pleasant night, Hamato-san."

"You, too, Konishi-san." And Mikey made his escape. He almost bounced out the door and into the street, jerking about as though he had bugs crawling on him. It took him several steps of wiggling before he could get himself to calm.

It wasn't that Michelangelo didn't like Mitsu's father, the village headman. But, rather, it was that he had no idea how to impress him. He liked Mitsu, liked her a lot. He didn't even necessarily know why. She never really laughed at his jokes and she had only been politely interested in his comic books, though she seemed intrigued by a few of the characters.

But maybe that's what happens with a big crush at first sight. It just happens. And it sure happened to me!

Mikey fought the urge to giggle. He rounded the main storage building where the village kept their tools in winter and rice after the harvest to the small empty house he had been offered whenever he stayed in the area. It was drafty and he only had one lantern and the door didn't quite shut, but he didn't care. It was within the village's walls, which made it safer than camping alone out in the woods, and it was close.

Close to Mitsu's house.

But as much as his feelings were powerful and completely without reason, they only went so far. Mikey wanted to be near Mitsu, wanted to listen to her talk, wanted to make her laugh, wanted to show her the things he liked best. But he didn't yet know if he liked her enough to dare anything more, to actually admit something.

Can't get anywhere without her dad's permission, though, and I am so not ready for that.

So he remained in a glowy, awkward limbo between a profound, maddening crush and fear of actually doing anything about it. For the moment, he was content to let his heart twist in unfamiliar feelings and just stay close to their target.

Michelangelo entered his house and lit his little lantern, the light throwing back the shadows and warming the bare room at least a little. But he didn't need more than that; early fall was mild and between his sleeping bag and the clothing it was becoming second-nature to wear all the time, he wasn't particularly cold even with the drafty house.

It's super weird to think about going to bed so early, but it's not like I can sleep through dawn with the sun coming in all the cracks. And the roosters making all that noise. And everybody getting up and hammering and everything. Raph could probably sleep through it. He sleeps through his own snoring.

I wonder what Raph's doing back in New York. I hope he and Donnie are having fun and not killing each other.

Next time I go back to the castle, I'll ask Leo to see if they would send me some more comics. I've read these about ten times now.

He settled into his sleeping bag.

I miss Klunk. It's not the same without kitty feet trying to bat my toes and falling asleep on my plastron.

I wonder if I could bring Klunk here. He wouldn't like the ride to get here, but he'd love being out in the open where he could hunt all the mice and bugs and everything else.

I'll try it! Casey and April don't really like cats anyway, and I need my kitty buddy and I bet he needs his Mikey scritches!

He took a deep breath and deliberately forced his body to relax while keeping his senses alert. It was a trick all four turtles had learned, the ability to sleep lightly enough to be woken by danger. Mikey wasn't as good at it as Leo or Raph, but he was good enough that he trusted he would perceive a threat before it could get to him in the house, and probably before it could get too far into the village. There were always two people awake all night at the one break in the village's palisade, trained to give warning if there was any danger. But Mikey figured he was the most able fighter in the village, so he intended to rely on his own skills to guard them, too.

Imagine if those bandits came back and I kicked shell in front of Mitsu…

The daydream lulled him to sleep and turned into a series of true dreams. The night passed filled with the images and adventures only Michelangelo's mind could conjure, from a daring escape by the Turtle Titan from a sinking globe into an ocean of lemon juice, to trying to help Cody Jones keep a thunderstorm from getting caught in a gravity well. Just as Mikey was about to lose the thunderstorm, he heard a voice that wasn't Cody's breaking over the headset in his orange spacesuit.

Beware the easiest path, for it lies.

He didn't have time to puzzle out that randomness – the black hole was about to swallow the storm and Mikey needed that storm to give to Cody as a belated birthday present! He was just reaching for the iridescent lasso he'd brought into space to grab it when a sound shattered the image.

The crowing rooster jarred Mikey awake, the dream slipping from him like dew rolling off the grass.

"I wonder if I can introduce a new tradition around here – rooster stew," he grumbled.

As he rose and dressed and stretched and prepared for the day, Michelangelo had the oddest feeling that he was forgetting something important. But if he'd forgotten, it probably wasn't that important, right?

-==OOO==-

There came a light tap on the door.

"Come in," Splinter called.

Leonardo entered, bowing. "Good morning, Master Splinter."

"Good morning, my son. Please, join me."

Leo smiled and moved across the floor to kneel beside the tray of breakfast that was still steaming. "I have already eaten, Sensei, but I will gladly share a cup of tea." He carefully poured two cups of tea while his father took up a bowl of rice.

"How are Donatello and Raphael faring? I am sorry I was so tired last night as to miss their call."

"It's okay, Master Splinter. I'm sure they would rather you get some rest and have me take the receiver so it didn't disturb you. Actually, Raph is here."

"Oh?"

While his father picked at the light breakfast food he was able to eat, Leonardo detailed what had happened the night before.

"So, Raph and I sparred for a bit and I invited him to stay while he cools down. Donnie doesn't need Raph in one of his moods stomping around and breaking something valuable. He's actually still asleep. I guess he and Don got off the early morning schedule pretty fast."

Splinter smiled. "That does not surprise me. Neither of them have ever been fond of waking with the dawn." Then his smile fell. "I would like to speak to Raphael when he is ready. I know he means well, but even for his usual temperament, such a rash choice seems...uncharacteristic."

"When I called Donnie back, he said he thought Raph was missing arguing with me." Leo smiled. "Maybe it all just came out at once."

"Perhaps."

"Anyway, after we went a few rounds, he calmed down a lot. He isn't ready to tell Donnie he was wrong yet, but he mellowed out a lot quicker than usual."

Splinter nodded and took up his teacup. "Perhaps the soothing atmosphere of this world has helped to tame his restless spirit."

"Maybe." Leo took a sip of tea. "I know not having to live in hiding because we're different has been good for me and Mikey, anyway."

"But not your brother Donatello."

Leo sighed. "No, I guess not. Donnie's just...different. From all of us. He always has been."

Splinter chuckled. "My son, I know that better than even you. You are all unique, but I believe Donatello would be unique in any world. You are a fine warrior and an honorable leader, and while your skill as both may be uncommon, there are other warriors and leaders against whom you may compare. There are other passionate fighters like Raphael, and others filled with laughter and merriment like Michelangelo. But never have I encountered the mix of creativity, innate intelligence, and selflessness that defines Donatello."

Leo considered that for a moment. "I guess it's really too bad he feels so uncomfortable here. He deserves to live in a world where he doesn't have to survive by scrounging and hiding."

"You all do, my son. And I am pleased we have found such a refuge here, temporary as it may be." Splinter drained the last of his tea and set the cup down. "Now, let us talk on other matters. What will you be practicing this morning with Raphael? I would like to know how frustrated with you he will be when he comes to talk with me after."

-==OOO==-

It took Raphael four days before he asked Leo to open a gateway back to the lair. He had spoken to Donatello on the second day, grumbling something vaguely resembling an apology, but he just hadn't been ready to return.

Donatello told him to take all the time he wanted – having a cranky turtle around was not actually preferable to the quiet.

However, Raph didn't come back alone.

"Wow. It's really taking shape in here."

Don looked up from his computer station with surprise. "Leo?"

"Hey, Don." Leo waved as the magical doorway shut behind him. "I hope you don't mind me dropping in."

Don grinned and abandoned his work, striding over to clasp his brother's shoulder. "It's your home, too, Leo." Then he turned to Raphael. "Hey. Uh, Raph? I…"

"Donnie, it's my fault. We're square, okay?" Raph remained looking at his feet.

Don nodded and clapped a hand on his shoulder, too. "Sure, bro."

Leo smiled at them both. "Good. Anyway, I'm here with sort of a shopping list. I can't stay long, but I thought it would be easier if there were two of us moving stuff back and forth."

"What sort of stuff?" Don wanted to know

Raph snorted. "Oh, wait 'til you hear it. Mikey wants half his room. And Klunk."

"Really?"

Leo shrugged. "I guess. I tried to talk him out of it, but he was so insistent he stayed at the castle instead of going back to Mitsu's village right away. I told him we'd try it, but if things go wrong and Klunk gets eaten by a wolf, it's his own fault."

"O...kay." Don felt more than a little confused, but he decided to trust that his brothers knew what they were doing. And with no word yet from the Shogun on the border situation or a new Heir to take Leo's place with Lord Kawauso, Don decided it wasn't too strange that his family might well want a few more familiar things around them.

"Don't worry." Leo patted Don on the back as he pulled out the list. "I won't mess up any of your hard work, I promise."

Leo strode off into the lair, scooping up a jumbo garbage bag as he went.

Don glanced at Raph. "Does he really need a sack that big for everything?"

Raph smirked. "Honestly, what he needs is a wheelbarrow."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I think Mikey would'a asked for the couch and his bed, too, except Leo wouldn't give him a cart to haul it all to Mitsu's place."

Don frowned and something in his stomach twinged with anxiety. "Is this really a good idea?"

Raph shrugged. "I dunno. I can't figure why they want stuff so bad when they can live like royalty in the castle. Well, except for Master Splinter. I bet he's bored out of his skull. He asked for a lot of books."

Donatello let out a breath. "Well, I guess if they're willing to move it over there, they can move it back, too, when we all come home for good. I've got enough to do without being their knicknack delivery turtle."

That won a laugh from Raphael. "Don't worry, brainiac. If this isn't the end of it, I'll take care of it."

Neither of them could have realized how prophetic that statement would be in the end.

Over the course of the next two weeks, while Donatello hunted through every dumpster and junkyard he could find for supplies and parts, Raphael found himself appointed family errand boy. It started small after that first trip – Leo would mention on a daily check-in that he'd forgotten a book on swords he wanted to show Usagi, or Mikey would have sent a message asking for just one more stack of comics.

Raph started getting in the habit of using the portal stick to travel to the other dimension each night during the check-in to deliver whatever had been requested, and within a few days he found it easier to just stay overnight and wander back in the morning after breakfast; this meant he even moved some of his own stuff over, including his favorite punching bag for his morning workout.

But as the days went on and Leo's requests kept coming, Don started to get worried.

"You know," he said while Raph was up in his room getting something he wanted to show Sato Takeko, leaving Don and Leo alone to talk across the portal stick's connection, "it feels a lot less like you're getting comfortable over there and more like you're really moving in there instead of here."

Leo shrugged. "It can't be helped, Donnie. Master Splinter will be sick for a long time, and at this rate I'm going to be the Heir for at least another few months. So, in a sense, we are kind of moving in over there. Just...think of it like us staying at April's until we found a new spot."

With the portal stick balanced on a nearby table, Don crossed his arms against his plastron.

"You know, with as easy as it is to go back and forth, there's no reason you couldn't live here with me instead and commute that way instead of hauling everything you own across dimensions."

Leo shook his head. "It won't work. I have to be here in case there's another attack. And Mikey is doing enough commuting back and forth as it is without having to cross worlds, too." He looked at his brother sympathetically. "I know it's annoying, but you won't have to put up with it forever. At some point, everything will settle and we'll quit this back-and-forth stuff."

Yeah, because there won't be anything left here besides technology. And me, Don thought with bitterness.

Raph came back down at that moment with a sack over one shoulder and a long box in his hands.

Don stared at it. "That's…"

Raph shrugged. "Master Splinter missed having the relics from Master Yoshi nearby, so I said I'd bring 'em. It's just his picture and the other little stuff. Usagi's building him an altar of his own in the inkhouse tomorrow."

But...that's our Clan heritage. Can we really just...skip across dimensions with it? Except...well, I guess the relics should be where the Clan is. And the Clan is there. Except me.

When Raph left that night, Donatello couldn't suppress the shiver that hit him in his brother's wake.

To think I wanted quiet. Now it's an emptier quiet than it's ever been.

A terrible suspicion began to grow in Donatello's mind.

No. No way. I've just got to trust that everything will be fine.